FBI and Dutch Police Arrestsuspected ShinyHunters Leader
The FBI, in collaboration with the Dutch National Police, has arrested a person believed to be affiliated with ShinyHunters, a notorious hacking group involved in several significant data breaches, including one that affected the FBI.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest via a post on X on Tuesday. While he didn’t disclose the suspect’s identity, he described the individual as “one of the alleged leaders” of the group.
“This morning [the FBI] and our partners at the Dutch National Police are announcing the arrest of one of the alleged leaders of ShinyHunters — a global cybercrime and threat actor group linked to cyberattacks in the United States, the Netherlands, and around the world,” Patel shared. He further noted that the Dutch High-Tech Crime Unit apprehended the individual under Dutch law and that the FBI is actively pursuing additional leads in relation to this case. Gratitude was expressed for the cooperation of the Dutch National Police and other industry partners who contributed valuable information. The investigation is ongoing.
Earlier this month, authorities in the Netherlands arrested a 24-year-old from Amsterdam, suspected of involvement with ShinyHunters and allegedly linked to a murder solicitation attempt.
According to Dutch police, the evidence relating to the murder plot was found on the suspect’s laptop, although it does not pertain to the ShinyHunters investigation.
Just last week, ShinyHunters claimed to have hacked into the FBI’s jobs website, asserting that they obtained “very sensitive data” belonging to numerous FBI agents and job applicants.
Stan Duijf, a Dutch police official focused on combating cybercrime, remarked that the ShinyHunters group has caused harm to many victims.
“Arresting suspects of cybercrime is a crucial step in our comprehensive approach to tackling this crime,” Duijf stated. “The ShinyHunters group has many victims, both in the Netherlands and internationally. It is satisfying that we have managed to apprehend a suspect linked to this group.”
On Tuesday, a Rotterdam court prolonged the suspect’s detention for an additional 90 days.
